Solemn
by Aldrean Treu Peri
Summary: Well ...this story is kind of J/J, especially towards the end ...I'm honestly not sure where it came from, it just assaulted me as I was sitting here at the computer ...


Okay …don't ask where this came from because I'm not entirely sure.  Jonny and Jessie are probably sorely OOC in this story but …I don't know.  I don't usually write Quest stories like this but …oh well, I hope you enjoy it a bit.  Feel free to review/flame/whatever!

Solemn

Jonathan Quest closed his eyes with a heavy sigh as he exited the Florida compound, lines of frustration, worry, anger, and sorrow marring his forehead as he slammed his fist against the outside wall, not hard enough for anyone inside to hear or to damage the structure, but hard enough for something to arise within him.  There were tears somewhere deep inside still, tears that refused to well in his eyes, refused to be shed, like jagged shards of hope digging into his heart, piercing his soul and letting his vehement wrath leak out.  He was close to his breaking point he knew, close to the point where any more apologetic words would turn his responses bitter and harsh, where any more sympathetic looks would sour his own and though he was aching terribly inside, he didn't particularly want to blow up on anyone.  He pushed himself from the house and stalked angrily down the path leading into the shaded jungle surrounding the compound, the sweet scent of exotic blossoms carried on the cool breeze and mingling with the smell of baking earth from the bright sun overhead.

            It was a beautiful day, the sky a light blue and cloudless, the breeze enough to offer relief from the sun's heat without chilling a person and the air was fresh enough for one to take a deep, calming breath.  Unfortunately, all the Yoga techniques Jonny had been taught by Hadji failed him at the moment as his stormy blue gaze scoured the happy heavens above, a pointless anger at the audacity of the day for being beautiful writhing within.  He ran a hand through his mop of golden blond hair impatiently and turned off the trail abruptly, feet silently picking a path amongst the roots and bramble of the jungle floor, his body easily avoiding the tangles of moss overhanging the tall trees about as he made his way towards the babbling peace coveted within the heart of the small jungle.

            Already the sound of the waterfall reached his keen ears, not a loud, obtrusive noise, but rather one of tranquility, allowing one to speak in a normal tone to companions and adding a certain flare of magic to nature's haven from the soiled touch of man.  Another pensive sigh as he nimbly leapt over a downed and rotting tree, the frown slowly fading as he let his mind stray from the worries residing within.  It was incredibly easy to forget the ties to man, to technology, when in the wondrous other world of rich greens, vibrant pastels and rainbow shades, and the pool of remarkably clean water.  He quietly regretted the existence of man for a moment, feeling guilt over damage to the land settle over his shoulders like a familiar mantle and he shrugged it off a moment later as that guilt began to shift to guilt for …

            He shook his head suddenly, an irritated growl stirring loose from his throat as he pushed past the last of the bushes before reaching the beginning of the stones that lead down into the small valley where the waterfall tumbled down into the little pool, surrounded by wildflowers, vines, moss and large slabs of rock fit for sunbathing.  He halted a moment at the 'entrance' of sorts to the secluded dreaming place as his eyes fell upon the current occupant of the place.  Never in all his years would he be able to mistake the fiery mane cascading down the well-formed back of the young woman sitting at the edge of the pool, feet splashing gently in the waters as she slowly raised her arms over her head and stretched, rolling her shoulders and sighing thoughtfully.  From his vantage point, Jonny could see that she was tensed up, muscles eager for action and merely awaiting a summoning, like a coiled spring or a tiger crouching behind a rock.  He could tell now that she was kicking at the waters rudely, her very presence altering the natural serenity of the place.  She was the heart of the disturbance, breaking the spell of the sanctuary.

            For an indeterminable time he waited there, at the edge of paradise, as if holding out for an invitation to further disturb the peace.  Finally, when he heard over the falling water the sound of sobs being choked back, when he could see that she was shaking with tears that she would not shed, he came forth from the foliage and moved to her side, half-kneeling just behind her as he put a hand upon her shoulder in greeting.  Emerald-jade eyes widened in fright and shock as she started and spun slightly to him, one hand coming up as if to strike out at the stranger at her back.  She let out a long sigh then and let her arm drop back to her side as she recognized him and offered the ghost of a smile and the tilt of her head to let him know that he was welcome to take a place at her side.

            "Jess …" He said softly, traces of his own aggravation evident in his voice.

            She licked her lips hesitantly, dark green eyes sliding to observe him from askance, not speaking but waiting to see if he would continue.  Something had stilled his tongue however and he made a wry face as he fell silent, working quickly to slip his sandals off and to dip his own feet in the cool relief of the water, draping his arm around her shoulders rather than keeping his hand on her shoulder.  She softened at the touch and let her head fall back, wealth of rich auburn hair blanketing his arm and pooling on the earth as she surveyed the sunny sky, her lips pursed slightly as if she fought for words to say, fought to settle her turbulent thoughts enough so that she could make sense of everything.

            "The sun has no right to shine, nor the sky to be such a cheerful blue." She murmured at length, speaking poetically as she tended to do when striving to capture her emotions and thoughts in the proper words.

            "Perhaps it is we who have no right to shed tears this day.  Perhaps we are being told to smile and laugh rather than weep silently inside." He replied, squeezing her close a moment.  A boyish grin ghosted across his face for a heartbeat and he laughed regretfully.  "Haven't there been enough days for crying already?"

            Her laughter was marred by remorse as well before she spoke again.  "I want to smile again, to be happy and carefree …I wish that the demons of the past would remain in the past instead of rising again to torment us time after time after time.  But wishes never seem to come true, do they?  Sometimes, I think that we've burnt out all the wishing stars in the nighttime heavens and that the rainbows are all out of gold.  Happiness seems in short stock of late."

            "Life is selling for cheap …a pity that we couldn't get a deal without the strings of death.  Do you want to talk about it?" He asked then, watching her carefully from the corners of his eye.

            Her eyes glittered in the sunshine with unshed tears as she took a deep breath and then shook her head, a light blush gracing her cheeks.  She giggled childishly, though the notes of her humor were tinged with hidden grief.  "There are things that must be spoken, but the words flee my tongue and courage shies away.  Yesterday was severely final …but today …today is still up in the air.  Nothing is engraved in stone quite yet from today …I only wish we could step backwards into what has been, so that we could shatter the granite of the past to inscribe what should have been."

            "People always say that those who are gone have 'passed before their time', yes?  Haven't you heard that self-same phrase countless times this morning?  Wasn't it that that drove you from the compound?" He inquired delicately.

            A scoff.  "Hardly.  More like, 'we understand what you're going through.'  Or maybe, 'everything will be fine, just wait and see.'  Those people only seem to make things worse, no matter what good they might intend.  They weren't kin to the Sultan, they didn't spend all of their life that meant anything with him only to loose him in a day.  They aren't us and they have no right to speak of which they cannot know.  Of which no one should have to."

            Jonny's throat burned painfully as he swallowed hard past the lump and hugged the Bannon girl close again.  "All of them have lost people close to their hearts at one point or another.  They probably have experienced something akin to what we are …they just want to help …but …it hurts right now.  If just one more person had approached me with sad words, I swear I would have decked them.  It's just not what I want to hear right now, or ever preferably.  Sometimes they just don't understand that the best medicine can be found in solitude, or …in the companionship of someone who truly understands."

            Jessie moaned and pulled closer to him, laying her head against his shoulder as she closed her eyes, but not before a single tear could escape to slowly wind its way down her cheek.  "I thought that I had no tears left," She confided then, in a young voice full of fear and guilt.  "I thought that I could no longer mourn.  I'm …glad to know that my eyes are parched no more.  It feels strangely good to be able to cry."

            "I know.  When the barriers fall away from the heart, allowing the ache inside to be released …it feels bad and good at the same time, a hurt that heals."

            She opened her eyes again and looked up at him, lifting a trembling hand to touch lightly against his cheek.  "You're crying as well …"

            He smiled sadly.  "I had thought that I'd forgotten how.  I thought that I had lost the ability to care and to feel misery.  It's good to know that I'm still human inside."

            She traced her index finger from his temple to his chin lightly, emerald-jade eyes thoughtful and clouded by heartache as she snuggled up closer, the warmth of his body seeping in to heat the chill of hers.  "Am I shivering, or is that you?" She whispered, kissing the fingertips of two fingers before tracing down the path of his tears.

            "You make my heart shiver, Jess, …" He answered at length, meeting her troubled gaze levelly.  "You make the pain of loosing Hadji duller …when we're together, it's almost like he's somewhere near …we three, troublesome though we may be …it will take some time I think for it to sink in fully that he is gone for good.  I wish it wasn't true."

            She kissed the corner of his mouth lightly, tears slipping down past her chin.  "In our hearts he will abide until the day comes when we three again shall be together." And then he kissed her as well, his salty tears wiping onto her face as hers trickled down his.  "I miss him, Jonny …it's still so unreal," She breathed as his lips caught hers again.

            "Reality, Jessica Bannon, is that I love you." Jonny said.  "Reality is that we will never forget him in all our days.  Reality is that love, any kind of love, from that of parent to child, brother to sister, lover to lover, friend to friend, all love transcends death.  No matter how many wishes the stars may loose, or how many pots will lie empty at the end of the rainbow, love will always exist and bind us together eternally and so one day we'll all be together again.  Until then …"

            "Until then …it is just you and I." A pause.  "And I love you as well, Jonathan Quest." And they kissed again as the fragrance of flowers filled the air and the sunshine pooled at their feet in the well of pristine water.


End file.
